1. History of Oceanography
Brian Schuster

2. Polynesians
colonized islands in the Pacific Ocean (Hawaii, Tahiti, Easter Islands, etc.)
navigated with stars
sailed in large canoes
made “stick charts” from bamboo and wood to diagram islands

3. Mediterranean Sea first maps were made of this sea
several civilizations navigated here
Greeks were the first to sail out of sea into ocean; they observed currents
Eratosthenes determined Earth’s circumference to be 25,000 miles
Phoenicians greatly improved navigation
Phoenicians circumnavigated Africa in 590 BC

4. Age of Discovery (1500s-1800s)
stimulated by the lust for resources and better trade routes
1513 Balboa finds the Pacific Ocean
1519 Victoria, led by Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan, circumnavigates the world; 3 of 5 ships are lost on voyage; Magellan is killed in Philippines, then del Cano takes over
1768 English James Cook charts Australia region aboard Endeavor; prevents scurvy by getting sailors enough Vitamin C
1772 Cook charts islands of Pacific with Resolution and Adventure; killed by natives of Hawaii

5. Age of Discovery (1500s-1800s)
1728 John Harrison make a marine chronometer, which allowed navigators to determine longitude on ships
1769 Ben Franklin and Tim Folger map the Gulf Stream
1842 Matthew Fontaine Maury (“Father of Oceanography”) systematically collects wind and current data; charts North Atlantic
1831 Charles Darwin sails aboard HMS Beagle as the naturalist; accurately describes atoll formation

6. HMS Challenger ( )
first true oceanographic research expedition
renovated a British corvette, a small warship
led by Charles Wyville Thomson and his assistant, John Murray
discovered Mariana Trench; deepest spot was later given the name Challenger Deep
discovered mid-ocean ridge and collected water data

7. Oceanography Pioneers
Victor Hensen (1800s): plankton studies
Alexander Agassiz (1800s): studied corals aboard the Albatross
Fridjtof Nansen (1800s): drifted in ice with the Fram near the North Pole
Walfrid Ekman (1900s): Scandinavian who studied physical oceanography
1909 Robert Peary reaches North Pole
1911 Roald Amundsen reaches South Pole

8. Further Exploration (1900s+)
Ocean Drilling Program: collected data about sea floor; started with Glomar Challenger (1968), then JOIDES Resolution and Chikyu (“Planet Earth”)
Meteor: German ship; studied South Atlantic currents
FLIP (Floating Instrument Platform): sits still in the water
FAMOUS (French-American Mid-Ocean Undersea Study, 1974): studied Mid-Atlantic Ridge

9. Further Exploration (continued)
Trieste: bathyscaphe that still holds the deepest dive to m in Challenger Deep; designed by Auguste Piccard
SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, 1943): initially developed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnon
SEASAT (1978): short-lived satellite; pioneer in oceanography remote sensing
TOPEX/Poseidon ( ): satellite that measured sea surface height to reveal info about circulation; successful mission

10. Modern Submersibles of Today
Alvin (max: 4000m): manned DSV; discovered hydrothermal vents, recovered missing bomb
Sea Cliff II (max: 6000m): went deeper than Alvin
Jason/Medea: pair of ROVs attached to each other